Chapter 119

Chapter 119

The two stood there in silence, their spirits taut, as the Wolf King scrutinized them. It seemed like a moment passed, or perhaps an eternity, before the Wolf King finally averted its gaze, suddenly raising its head to howl at the sky. The mournful cry echoed across the desert.

The pack responded in kind, and soon the entire desert was filled with a chorus of wolf howls. But these were different from the ones that had surrounded Shagucheng that day; they held no hidden threat, only a pure expression of grief and disappointment.

No longer under the intense stare of the Nine-level Beast, the pressure lifted from the two humans, who felt a collective sigh of relief as the suffocating sense of vulnerability dissipated.

Then, the Wolf King turned its head, unfurled its wings, and took flight toward the distance.

The pack followed suit.

As the wolves prepared to leave, Wen Qiao suddenly called out, "Wolf King, wait!"

Ning Yuzhou, who had been quietly sheltered behind her, couldn't help but look up at her, his eyes flickering with surprise, yet he did not stop her from calling to the Wolf King.

The Wolf King paused mid-flight, then turned to face them once more.

It hovered in midair, gazing down at them again. Its icy eyes clearly reflected the figures of the two humans below, devoid of any lingering savagery but instead holding a depth of wisdom and coldness. As a demon wolf nearing human form, the Wolf King's intelligence was comparable to that of a regular human.

Thus, for the human who dared to call out to it, the Wolf King, though cold, could not hide a hint of expectation in its pupils.

This was the first time in all their searching through the desert for the young wolf that one of the many cultivators they'd encountered had actually addressed the Wolf King.

Wen Qiao did not disappoint the Wolf King's hope. She said, "Do you have any fur or something from the young wolf? Perhaps we can help you find him."

Without hesitation, the Wolf King descended from the air.

Its wings folded neatly against its massive body, seamlessly blending with its form without appearing cumbersome. Compared to the towering Wolf King, Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou looked like infants standing before an adult.

The Wolf King fixed its gaze on the humans before it.

Wen Qiao held its gaze, her expression calm without a hint of fear or evasion.

Upon closer inspection, the Wolf King realized that this human carried a scent that was very pleasant to beasts, attracting them in a way that made them inadvertently lower their guard against her.

Unable to resist, the Wolf King let out a disdainful sound toward the Eight-level Mutated Rabbit that clung tightly to this cultivator, eyeing it warily. Then, it spread its wings, releasing a fine strand of hair that drifted gently to Wen Qiao.

She reached out to catch it, recognizing that this must be a strand of the young wolf's fur.

Under the Wolf King's watchful eye, Wen Qiao summoned the two Yellow Crystal Ants from her waistband, offering the young wolf's hair to them. "Big Ant, Little Ant, this is the young wolf's hair. Please help us find where he is."

Before the pack's attentive gaze, the two Yellow Crystal Ants calmly approached, placing their antennae on the hair.

Ning Yuzhou: "…"

This familiar scene left Ning Yuzhou speechless once more.

He recalled the last time in the abandoned Yellow Sand City, when the ants had placed their antennae on the stone given by Senior Brother Chen, leading them to the room protected by an array formation.

Silence enveloped the surroundings, as if even the wind had ceased to move.

The pack stood quietly by, while the Wolf King focused its attention on the two Yellow Crystal Ants.

In the Wolf King's eyes, these ants were weak and insignificant, creatures that would barely warrant a second glance in the desert. Yet now, these tiny ants became the focus of the Wolf King's interest.

After a while, the Yellow Crystal Ants retracted their antennae, unfolded their wings, and flew to the ground. They circled around briefly before heading in a specific direction.

The demon wolves hastily made way, their four legs moving cautiously, as if afraid to accidentally step on these minuscule ants.

Wen Qiao happily said to the Wolf King, "Wolf King, follow them. They can lead you to the young wolf."

The Wolf King glanced at her, then at the two Yellow Crystal Ants, before suddenly swiping its paw on the sand.

The guiding ants were lifted into the air along with the sand, as if supported by the wind. As a Wind-type demon beast, the Azure-winged Demon Wolf could control the wind and easily manipulate the small ants.

Then, the Wolf King looked at Wen Qiao and the others, letting out a howl.

Wen Qiao blinked, surprised. "You want us to sit on your back and you'll fly us there?"

The Azure-winged Wolf King nodded slowly.

"No problem!" Wen Qiao exclaimed cheerfully. However, upon seeing the cowardly camel-beast lying on the sand, she hesitated. "But what about our camel-beast..."

The Wolf King let out another howl, and two Azure-winged Demon Wolves stepped forward, approaching the camel-beast.

The camel-beast cowered even more, burying its head in the sand.

Wen Qiao found this amusing yet understood the Wolf King's intention. "In that case, please take care of it for us."

With the camel-beast taken care of, Wen Qiao boldly grabbed her husband and leaped onto the Wolf King's back.

The Wolf King spread its wings, stirring up a gust of wind, and soared into the sky, following the two Yellow Crystal Ants toward the distance.

The army of demon wolves thundered across the desert once again.

Aerially, a group of demon wolves flew, while on the ground, another pack ran alongside, creating a grand spectacle. Cultivators and other demon beasts in the vicinity, hearing the commotion, fled immediately, not daring to engage with the massive army of demon wolves.

Fortunately for them, they escaped quickly enough to avoid witnessing the sight of the usually proud Wolf King carrying two humans on its back.

The speed of the Azure-winged Demon Wolf was remarkable, further augmented by its wings, making it far superior to ordinary demon beasts. In comparison, the flying Yellow Crystal Ants' speed was lackluster, and they preferred crawling on the ground over flying, for they were, after all, born to be Earth-dwelling Yellow Crystal Ants, with wings that developed only after evolution.

Displeased with the Yellow Crystal Ants' sluggish pace, the Wolf King instructed them to simply guide the way, taking charge of flying them to their destination.

The Yellow Crystal Ants crawled back into the pouch at Wen Qiao's waist, ensuring they wouldn't be flung away by the Wolf King's rapid flight.

"Wolf King, come this way. Big Ant and Little Ant say the pup is over here."

Wen Qiao's voice faintly carried through the wind, and the Wolf King silently changed direction.

Indeed, the Wolf King was swift, as if it traversed the majority of the desert in an instant.

Before long, Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao both saw something somewhat familiar on the sands ahead—a black dot against the golden dunes that grew larger and larger as the Wolf King approached...

When its true form finally revealed itself before them, Wen Qiao was stunned.

Isn't this Blackrock Gorge?

Could it be that the bandits from Blackrock Gorge stole the Wolf King's pup?

Ning Yuzhou thought along similar lines, but delved deeper than Wen Qiao.

Those who knew the shifting desert best were not the caravans or cultivators from the cultivation cities, but rather the bandits of Blackrock Gorge.

After all, they were desperados who were intimately familiar with the desert, allowing them to accurately select their routes to ambush caravans and cultivators. They were well-versed in the shifting sands and surely wouldn't have overlooked the Azure-Winged Demon Wolves. The bandits must have stolen the Wolf King's pup with the goal of acquiring a battle pet.

Adult demonic beasts rarely agreed to contracts with human cultivators. If a cultivator forcibly bound one, it would likely result in a fight to the bitter end, leaving both sides wounded and worse off for wear. Only young demonic beasts, lacking strength, could be forcibly contracted by cultivators. Kept by their side for some time, nurtured until they became accustomed to humans, there would be no need to worry about backlash.

The Wolf King recognized the place as well. Seeing the black rocks, its eyes blazed with fury, and it let out a howl of anger.

The pack echoed its call, howling in unison, their voices echoing far across the desert, announcing their arrival.

The appearance of the demon wolf army caused a commotion in Blackrock Gorge.

The bandits frantically retreated into the black rocks, hastily activating defensive formations to block the demon wolf army outside.

As the pack neared Blackrock Gorge, Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou leapt down from behind the Wolf King, switching to sit among the running wolves on the ground, blending in with the pack.

Recalling how they had been chased around when they previously got lost here by those same bandits, the contrast made their current situation all the more satisfying.

Upon reaching Blackrock Gorge, the demon wolves wasted no words and began attacking.

"Husband, didn't you say that if we passed by Blackrock Gorge again, we'd use explosive orbs to blast away that entire area of black rock?" Wen Qiao asked with sparkling eyes. "Should we take action?"

Ning Yuzhou watched the defensive formation of Blackrock Gorge flicker violently under the assault of the demon wolf army. At this rate, it wouldn't last much longer.

"After the Wolf King breaks through the protective barrier, we'll go in."

"Works for me."

Wen Qiao and Wen Tutoo eagerly watched the demon wolf army close in on the notorious bandits.

The Wolf King hovered in midair, staring at the bandits within Blackrock Gorge, suddenly raising its head to let out another howl.

The howl carried the might of a ninth-rank demonic beast, sending waves of pressure rolling out. The bandits within Blackrock Gorge were overwhelmed, and more than half fell instantly. Those remaining were higher in cultivation, struggling to hold on.

This howl from the Wolf King finally forced the higher-level cultivators out of Blackrock Gorge.

A cultivator in the Essence Formation Realm flew out from Blackrock Gorge, standing in midair, confronting the Wolf King.

The cultivator was a short, thin man, his appearance unappealing due to some sinister cultivation technique he seemed to have practiced. His cold eyes resembled those of a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, striking fear into others.

The gaunt man let out a strange cackle. "Wolf King, weren't you looking for your cub? What are you doing at Blackrock Gorge? You don't actually think your pup is here, do you? After being so clever your whole life, you've been duped into coming to Blackrock Gorge. Tsk tsk tsk."

The Wolf King didn't waste words, issuing a long howl instead.

The gaunt man felt his blood surge, barely managing to keep from spitting out a mouthful of blood.

The Wolf King had reached the late stages of ninth rank, on the verge of taking human form, while he was only in the early stages of the Essence Formation Realm—no match for the Wolf King.

He suppressed the blood rising to his mouth and continued with a tone of disdain. "Wolf King, I don't know why you believe your cub is in Blackrock Gorge. Whoever told you must have ill intentions, wanting to use your hands to eliminate Blackrock Gorge. Think carefully. Is your Azure-Winged Demon Wolf clan really going to oppose us in Blackrock Gorge?"

Hearing the gaunt man's words, Wen Qiao became angry.

"Big Ant and Little Ant wouldn't lead us astray. The little wolf has to be here." She said confidently.

Ning Yuzhou suddenly asked, "Ah Chuo, how did the Yellow Crystal Ants know the little wolf was here?"

Wen Qiao looked at him in surprise. "Didn't you know? This is their innate ability after mutation. They can sense where things that are the same are located. They're great at leading the way. Didn't Big Ant and Little Ant touch the little wolf's fur earlier? That's why they led us here. The little wolf is definitely in Blackrock Gorge; Big Ant and Little Ant wouldn't make a mistake."

Ning Yuzhou understood, unable to resist glancing at the two Yellow Crystal Ants peeking out from the edge of the pouch. He hadn't expected mutated Yellow Crystal Ants to possess such abilities.

With this talent, if properly utilized, secret realms and illusions would never escape their perception.

Ning Yuzhou finally found the two Yellow Crystal Ants to be less useless.

As they spoke, they continued observing the battle ahead.

Perhaps it was the allure of Wen Qiao's demonic body that drew the demonic beasts to her inexplicably, making them trust her. Regardless of the gaunt man's silver-tongued persuasion, the Wolf King firmly believed in Wen Qiao, not falling for his tricks. Seeing the man still trying to argue, it took action without hesitation.

The Wolf King attacked Blackrock Gorge's defensive formation personally.

How could the defensive formation withstand the attack of a late-stage ninth-rank Wolf King? It held for less than half an hour before finally breaking open. The Wolf King let out a howl, and the pack surged into Blackrock Gorge.

"We should go in too."

Wen Qiao pulled Ning Yuzhou, blending in with the pack as they entered Blackrock Gorge.

Blackrock Gorge was named for the canyon formed by black sandstone.

The gorge was narrow and winding, wider at the bottom than the top. As long as the demon wolves guarded above, they could block all the cultivators' escape routes.

Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou, cloaked in their mantles, followed the pack into Blackrock Gorge. They weren't in a hurry to kill the bandits but allowed the two Yellow Crystal Ants to continue guiding them in search of the little wolf.

The Wolf King directly broke through Blackrock Gorge's defensive formation and led the pack inside with the same goal in mind. They drew the bandits' attention while Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou, accompanied by the Yellow Crystal Ants, searched for the little wolf.

Due to the invasion of the demonic wolf army, the once outrageously arrogant bandits could only flee for their lives; any resistance was swiftly dealt with by the Wolf King. He directly slew the emaciated man, brutally hurling his corpse into the ravine, where blood spilt across the ground, seeping into the black sandstone.

This scene struck fear into many of the bandits.

As they fled towards the caves, they cried out, "Quick, go fetch Lord Wu."

"Lord Wu is in seclusion; he must not be disturbed!"

"What do we do then...?"

The bandits' faces fell in despair. It was precisely at this time that Lord Wu chose to be in seclusion. Otherwise, how could the Wolf King have been so audacious? Yet, seeing the wolves that had already blocked off the ravine, they could only head towards where Lord Wu was in seclusion, hoping to rouse him and drive away the demonic wolf army.

Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou, disguised as bandits from Blackrock Ravine, quickly hid in the surrounding black rock caves.

Disguising themselves as bandits was simple; they were all draped in cloaks, which, as long as they weren't removed, would prevent the bandits from clearly seeing their appearances, thus avoiding suspicion. Moreover, with the demonic wolves already invading, the bandits were preoccupied with escaping, leaving no time to notice if outsiders were taking advantage of the chaos to slip in.

This convenience facilitated their movements.

Seeing that no one was paying attention, two Yellow Crystal Ants flew out from the pouch, landing on the ground. Their antennae moved around them before they selected a direction and quickly scurried off.

The duo followed behind the two Yellow Crystal Ants.